International and domestic media organisations have raised alarm over two initiatives which they say will weaken the independence of the Lithuanian public broadcaster, LRT.
The European Broadcasting Union (EBU) has issued an appeal to the Speaker of the Seimas and lawmakers, voicing serious concern about a proposed bill that would allow the LRT Council to dismiss the director general more easily.
The bill was drafted by Remigijus Žemaitaitis, leader of the Nemunas Dawn party, who was also one of the initiators of the LRT audit.
If adopted, the law would require only half of the Council to agree for the director general to be dismissed.
“We are not aware of such weak safeguards for the term of a PSM [public service media] Director General in any other EU country,” EBU director general Noel Curran said in the appeal.
According to Curran, the proposed changes endanger LRT’s independence and weaken its protection against political influence.
“These changes risk undermining the autonomy and independence of LRT, eroding longstanding safeguards that protect the integrity of Lithuania’s public service media from undue political influence,” Curran said.
Such legislation may be incompatible with obligations under the European Media Freedom Act, which seeks to protect independent media from political interference, especially public service broadcasters, he added.
“We respectfully urge the Lithuanian government to reconsider these proposed reforms as a matter of urgency and ensure that any legislative changes concerning LRT align fully with Lithuania’s obligations under international law,” he added.
Efforts to reduce LRT’s budget
The International Press Institute has issued a warning about another proposal by Žemaitaitis and 17 other members of the Seimas, which aims to change the funding of LRT.
Last Wednesday, the Seimas Budget and Finance Committee backed a proposal to freeze LRT’s budget at this year’s level until 2029. From 2029, LRT would also receive a smaller share of income tax and excise revenue.
“The justification for this review, based on the State Audit, is questionable. Although the proposal formally cites the audit results, the State Audit did not assess or draw conclusions on the broadcaster's funding model,” the International Press Institute said.
“Instead, the audit concluded that ‘the financial resources of Lithuanian Radio and Television for 2021–2024 are planned appropriately, and the reasons for the increase in expenditure are justified,’” it added.
According to the institute, Audit Committee chair Artūras Skardžius is attempting to conduct further investigation even after the official state audit has been completed.
Earlier this year, international organisations already warned about risks to LRT’s independence after the LRT Council approved a “political neutrality” audit, the institute said.
Žemaitaitis has also been discrediting LRT by calling for the adoption of a foreign agents law, seen as a retaliatory measure against critics of the government, it noted.
“If approved, it would contravene the European Media Freedom Act, which requires Lithuanian lawmakers to ensure long-term, reliable funding for the public broadcaster,” the International Press Institute said.
‘A dangerous proposal’
The proposal to ease the dismissal of the director general resembles an attempt to undermine the independence of this state media organisation, according to Lithuanian media groups.
“This proposal is rushed and dangerous,” Lithuanian Journalists’ Union chair Audrys Antanaitis told BNS on Monday. “We need to clarify what the [LRT] Council itself is doing, as its work is now fairly secret, with many confidential matters.”
According to him, the aim is to seize or create new levers for controlling information.
“That is obvious. But what I most fear, as the head of the union, is that these flows could become unmanageable, could fall into the wrong or unclear hands, and become a weapon for those who care less about the national interest than they should,” Antanaitis said.
The chair of the Association of Professional Journalists, Birutė Davidonytė, also criticised the draft bill.
According to her, it raises serious concern and “resembles an attempt to capture the public broadcaster by replacing its head with someone more favourable to politicians”.
“First of all, the bill seeks to remove the key safeguard that the LRT director may be dismissed only in cases of violations of the public interest, for an important reason. This is a vital safeguard that ensures the independence of LRT as a media outlet from politicians, the importance of which is also underscored in Constitutional Court rulings,” Davidonytė said.
On Monday afternoon, the Association of Professional Journalists posted on Facebook an appeal signed by Davidonytė, Antanaitis and 33 other journalists and media representatives, addressed to the ruling Social Democrats.
“We ask you, as representatives of the largest party in the ruling coalition and as leaders of the state, to ensure the freedom of the media and the public broadcaster, and not to vote for such amendments in parliament,” the appeal stated.
“We ask that any further discussion of this issue in committees include organisations representing journalists: the Association of Professional Journalists and the Lithuanian Journalists’ Union,” it said.
In addition, the media representatives said they did not rule out organising protests “to defend the most important constitutional values of the state – freedom of expression and the public’s right to know”.
LRT Council chair Mindaugas Jurkynas declined to comment to BNS on the ruling bloc’s initiative, noting that the Council had not discussed the matter, but may do so at its next meeting.
The LRT Council meeting is expected to take place in mid-December.
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